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EuBGF Rules seem about right to me.
Posted By: Taper_Mike In Response To: Relevant EuBGF Rules used at the Nordic Open (an improvement) (neilkaz)
Date: Wednesday, 30 March 2016, at 5:04 a.m.
I like the EuBGF rules as written.
At the discretion of the TD, a penalty can be imposed after a warning and repeated infractions. Prior to that, we just run off the delay, and let the move be replayed using bank time. The EuBGF rules do not run off any additional penalty time. This is exactly the rule I proposed in a thread I started here some time ago.
Adding immediate penalties such as those Neil and Bob have suggested creates an incentive for a player to allow his opponent to make illegal moves.
That is not in accordance with the "legal moves" concept, as I interpret it. Without putting too fine a point on it, the motivation for "legal moves" is an acknowledgement that we all occasionally make illegal moves, and when one is detected, we simply want it corrected, and we want to get on with the game. We don't want to introduce penalties that alter the game, or create incentives not to correct an illegal move until a penalty has accrued.
The idea is that no player should gain an advantage because of an illegal move (or penalty). We want the game to be played just as if the move had been played correctly the first time. We want to play backgammon, not score penalty points.
All of this assumes, of course, that the illegal moves are accidental. These days, that is almost always the case. But if they are not, the EuBGF has the perfect remedy. A pattern of infractions can be penalized.
I like it when illegal moves are pointed out sooner rather than later. When I see an opponent lift a checker (from my side of the board), and then then begin to hover indecisively with it in his hand, I immediately put my finger on the edge of the board above the point from which the checker was moved. This helps my opponent avoid an illegal move. It also speeds up the game.
When there is a penalty at stake, such as the clock run-offs Neil and Bob support, self-interest suggests that I should not help my opponent like this. Instead, I should slow the game down by allowing the illegal move, and then argue about it afterwards. Often, my opponent will not agree that his move was illegal in the first place, so sometimes we will have a he-said, she-said dispute. We all know how TDs resolve those. High die wins.
I also put my finger on the edge of the board when I first see an illegal move. If possible, I do this before the clock is punched. At first, I prefer to say nothing, and let my opponent discover his error. If he continues with his misplay, then I will eventually say, "Illegal." Sometimes that happens before the clock has been punched.
This is especially true when the first half of a doublet has been misplayed. Rather than say nothing while my opponent is trying out ways to play the rest of his roll, my finger usually lands on the edge of the board right away.
I know these ideas are still controversial in some corners the backgammon world, so I look forward to reading some interesting replies.
Have at it!
Mike
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